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Effects of First-Grade Content-Area Literacy Intervention on Reading, Writing, Domain Knowledge, and Reading Motivation for English Learners and English-Proficient Students

July 17, 2019

Jackie Relyea, Laura Mesite, Mary Burkhauser, James S. Kim, and Catherine Armstrong present Effects of First-Grade Content-Area Literacy Intervention on Reading, Writing, Domain Knowledge, and Reading Motivation for English Learners and English-Proficient Students at the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (SSSR) Conference in Toronto, Ontario.

Abstract

The study was to examine the effects of first-grade science-embedded literacy intervention on reading, argumentative writing, science concept knowledge, and reading motivation for English learners (ELs; n = 136) and English-proficient students (EPs; n = 526). Using a randomized controlled trial design, we investigated the following questions:

  1. Do the intervention effects on reading, writing, science concept knowledge, and reading motivation vary by ELs and EPs?
  2. What are the intervention effects for ELs and EPs compared to their peers in the control condition?

Method: The intervention and control groups of students were recruited from 10 schools in one urban district. The intervention consisted of reading content-rich texts, explicit instruction of key science concepts, collaborative research, and argumentative writing instruction. 

Results: Research Question 1: Multilevel linear modeling analyses revealed that there was a significant interaction effect only on reading motivation (p < .01), indicating that the intervention effect on reading motivation significantly varied by language status. 

Research Question 2: Subgroup analyses revealed that ELs in the intervention group significantly outperformed ELs in the control group on science concept knowledge (ES = .43) and reading motivation (ES = .53; ps < .05). EPs in the intervention group had significantly higher scores on reading (ES = .01) and science concept knowledge (ES = .28; ps < .05) than EPs in the control group. 

Conclusion: The content-area literacy intervention offered unique opportunities for all students to improve science concept knowledge, and the key intervention features particularly improved the chances for ELs to engage with reading.